Many UKVI customers and immigration law practitioners will be aware that Premium Service Centre (PSC) appointments have become increasingly scarce in the last few months. We can only speculate about the cause, though many will wonder whether it has anything to do with the Government’s plan to roll out an entirely new in-country application process through its commercial partner Sopra Steria, who was awarded the £91m contract to provide the new services back in May (see press release here).

The new process could be implemented as soon as October this year, although the details are yet to be announced.

In the meantime, those looking to book a PSC appointment but facing the dreaded “no appointments available” barrier should not despair! Here are our top tips for securing an appointment:

1. 1. Appointments are released approximately six weeks in advance and new appointments become available to book at midnight. If you need an appointment, this is the best time to log-in, although you should be prepared for some technical difficulties, as the website often struggles to cope with the increased traffic around this time.
2. 2. Occasionally cancellations occur, which mean an appointment suddenly becomes available to book. Checking regularly at different times of the day is therefore recommended.
3. 3. Consider attending an appointment at a regional PSC. The Croydon PSC appears to be the busiest, and you may have better luck elsewhere. Although for many this will likely involve additional travel, not all PSCs are far away – Solihull for example is a 1hr 45mins train journey from London Marylebone.

Of course, for many, the added hassle of getting an appointment will not be worth it, especially given the already high starting price. But for those who need an urgent decision on their application, we hope the above tips are helpful.

On Saturday 19 May, we will be running a free advice session for Europeans and their family members at the Waterloo Action Centre.

The aim of the event is to give an overview of the rights of European nationals in the UK and to outline steps they may wish to take to prepare for Brexit.

We hope that those attending will come away with the knowledge and confidence to make an application if they need to.

In preparation for the meeting, we have prepared a self-help guide for those looking to understand their current rights and how these might be affected by the UK’s exit from the EU. The guide also includes information and guidance about how to make a successful application.

You can download the guide by clicking here.

There are a limited number of spaces still available to attend the event itself. We ask that those wishing to attend the meeting register their interest via Eventbrite.

The recently published Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC309 contains some very good news for applicants considering the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route. From 11 January 2018, when the changes are due to come into force, the number of Exceptional Talent visas will double from 1000 to 2000. What’s more, those endorsed under the Exceptional Talent sub-category will be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain after only three years’ residence in the UK.

The Explanatory Memorandum also mentions there are “minor changes to the criteria for endorsement by Arts Council England,” but does not set these out. While many of the changes are indeed minor – making pronouns gender neutral, for instance – there is a change to the specified evidence which might be bad news for some applicants. The requirement for evidence to be dated within the last five years has been extended from the ‘proof of appearance’ category of supporting documents to the other two categories, ‘media recognition’ and ‘international awards’. Those applying should therefore ensure any awards, prizes, articles, reviews and other evidence they provide are dated within five years of their application.

For tailored, individual advice about Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent), contact us for a consultation.